Auto or gas engine starter and indicator.



G., E. OCAIN.

AUTO QR GAS ENGINE STARTER AND INDIGTOR. I

APYLIOATION FILED PEB. 1T, 19.11.

l1,025,762. l latrl-ted May7,.194127V` wlmi)A GEORGE EDWARD oGA'IjN, oroAK PAR'KQ'ILIQINors.

AUTO 0R .GAS 'anemia srARrEnjANpwINnIoAToE,

"spcification of Lettersrateiiii; I PatentedMayjjlglg,

Application sied February 17; 1911. serial No, 609,250..

To all whom t mag/0011067101:

Be j it y known that- I, GEORGE EDWARD OcAiN, a citizen of the United States, and a residentof Oak Park, in the county of Cook ..5 and State of Illinois, h'ave invented-,anknprovement in Auto or Gas Engine rStarters and indicators, of which the. following is specification. i

. This invention relates toa starter formul` 10 t-iple cylinder internahcombustion engines, the object ,being 'to provide means for disv-pensing with the dangerous operation of cranking such engines, whichl iscommonly i done on automobiles. Y;

The starter is so constructed that theengine maybe started without necessitating the -driver leaving his seat, and theY invention includes an indicator by which'it may be instantly ascertained which of the several cylinders is ready for ignition of the 'eX- plosive charge.

The details of construction, arrangement,

the main-body of the valve and 'indicatorpcasing. ln the main chamber of the body 6 .is arranged a tapered plug valve 7 which is provided at one end with a handle 5 se,-l cured by a nut 19. The other end is adjai cent to a hollow plug 13 which closes the valve chamber at vthat end and is provided with a spiral spring 28 which applies pressure to the valve, tending to hold it pressed toward the right, so that wear is taken up or compensated for anda tight .fit1 always insured; The body 6 has a series of en largeinents projectingdownward and provided with chambers or passages into which are screwed tubes 21 having pet cocks which are numbered, respectively, 8, 9, 1.0, and 11.`

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, these petcoclrs have transverse passages and an enlarged milled head by which' they may berotated to bring such passages into or out of communication with passages 22 in the tubes 21.

The lower ends offtlie tubes 21 havie'exten-l sions which screw `into amanifold 12l conj nected by-a pi'pe-12 with a pressure carbureter (not shown) which is, in turn, connected with a hand orv foot 'air-pump or air storage tank such as are employed on some1' automobiles for inilating the tires. y

jIn the chambers 202| are arranged ball. valves 30 which normally seat downward by their-,own gravity. The valve plug is vprovided with vtransverse passages 20 which may be brought into registration with pas sages .cdmmunicatingwith the chambers 20, as shown in Figs. 1 andI 2. Other passages 20"4 are formed inthe valve at a right angle to the passages 20 and communicate there with, as shown in' Fig. 2.1 When the valve iSladju'Sted, asy shown in Figs. l.1 .and 2, the

passages'. 20, 20t are alined and 2Ob commu nicates with port '2Oc where a pipe l25 from `an'enginecylinder is attached.

The upper side of the body is lprov'idemd with a series of 'tubular projections 26 corresponding to ,and communicating with the several passages or ports 27 that aline with lpassages 20 of. the valve when adjusted as in Figs. 1 land .2. Inthe chambers 29 of these tubular projections 26 is `arranged a series of pistons 1, 2, 3, 4,.hav1ng stems which fit loosely and are slidable in screw plugs 15, 1,6, 17, 18, that are inserted in the outer Vends-.of the tubular. projections 26. 1

rThe 'stems of these pistons are provided withenlarged Aflat heads l?, 2a, 3a, 11, re spectively, to serve as Visuahindicators'.

The operation of my inventionA will now i' .be understood. The apparatus isordinarily.

placed on the inside of and adjacent to the dash-board of an automobile in a position convenient for access and operation. ln'

order to stop the engine, disconnect or throw -v oil the sparking attachment, but do notL choke 4or throttle closely; then, as the engine comes to rest, throwv the/lever 5 into posi.-

. tion shown in Fig. '1, .whereby all the .ports of the plug valve 7 will be opened, and the pressure in those engine cylinders which contain a charge ready t0 be ignited will cause the respective iinder or plunger pistons 1, 2, 3, 4, to rise, as shown bydotted lines in F ig.. l. In other words,v by such rise of the plungers or pistonsv 1 4, it is indicated which cylinders are ready to lire. Then the respective pet cocks 8 and 11 controlling communication with the manifold 4 are opened, as shown.

will `also leave the valve Before describing the starting of the engine, let it be assumed that the lever 5 of plugV valve 7 is-down instead of up, as represented 'Then by strokes of the foot or hand airpump, air may be forced through thefpres- Vsure earbureter, whereby it will take up .-gasolene' vapor, thus forming a-iiring mixyture which, entering the manifold 1,2, will pass through the open pet cooks 84`and 11 and throughl ports ?l and 23 to the two cyl- A indersl and 4 into the two cylinders on the engine which are ready to fire. Then throw l on the' sparker and the engine will run'.

After the'engine has begun to run, the lever 5 should bel adjusted to place the valve in such position that it will cover ports lead- Aing to the engine cylinders; then close the |pet cocks to the manifold,l y

In order that the apparatus may serve as arnder or indicator of cylinders which are.v

neXt ready to lire, after the engine has been vstalled or stopped, first open the plug valve 7, with thel lever 5 straight down; then open the pet cock 8 -and admitY gas under pressure to the manifold 12, and ifA the engine cylinder piped to 20 is next ready to, fire, it will hold the pressure and the {inder- 1, la will rise and visually indicate this ;v but l if the cylinder referred to does not'hold gas,

the exhaust on intake valvewill open and the finder will not indicate. Proceed in this .manner until two finders indicate, and then leave their respectivel cocks open to the manifold, the others-'being closed, and raisethe lever 5 t0 `laorironta-l position; then the starter is .ready for the starting operation. It is obvious thatthis starter and finding apparatus is not limited to four cylinders,

but that it may be applied to six or eight municatin cylinder engines bythe addition of valve and finder chambers as needed.

-The function of the'ball valves'30 is to prevent backfring into manifold 12. They also allow the spark to be thrown on as,l soon as the explosive mixture is vforced into cylinders, Without rst closing the plug valve 7.

What I claim is l. The improved gas-engine starter and indicator, consisting of a body having a longitudinal bore or chamber and on its upper side a series of lateral chambers communicating Withthe said bore, pistons slidable in such chambers randdialving projecting heads that serve as visual indicators or linders', a plug valve adapted to rotate inthe bore and having transverse passages, each Aformed of communicating ports in T form, the chambered body having also lateral passages, and pipes from the engine cylinders to be started secured in said passages, tubes pendent from the chambered body and comwith openings in the latter which reglster with the plug passages, petcocks in said tubes, and a manifold common to, \or connecting, the tubes, and. adapted to receive an explosive gas-mixture, as shown Iand describ' 2. The combination of abody having a lengthwise bore and ports leading out therefrom on the top, the side, andthe bottom of said bodyp 1stons slidable in the upperl ports, engine pipes communicatin with the side ports and tubes connecting wit the bottom ports, and provided with pet-cocks, ball valves .seated downward in said bottom ports, and a.'r9tatable plug arranged in the body andl having transverse T-shape ports adapted to communicate with the several ports of thebody as. shown and-described.

In testimony w ereof, I make statement that this invention is a product of my own brain, and I aliix my ence of two witnesses. ,s

GEORGE EDWARD OCAIN. Witnesses:

GERTRUDE H. RAsMUssEN, A ALBERT E. DYSON.

signature in the pres- .Copies of this patent may be obtained forve' cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

